Main menu

Continental Tire Challenge maintains its strength: Year in review 2012

December 18, 2012

The Continental Tire Challenge hopes to have a big role in the Grand-Am/ALMS merger. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Regarding Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series merger for 2014, it seems inevitable that with a 12-race schedule planned, some tracks that hosted Grand-Am, the ALMS or both will end up with neither.

This could be good news for Grand-Am's Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge development series. Several times in informal discussions, the possibility of pumping up Continental to the point where it could be a headline act, and thus giving the shunned tracks an opportunity to stay in the family, has been broached by Grand-Am and ALMS bosses.

If it happens, the series is already strong, with deep fields and a moderate level of manufacturer participation. Eight manufacturers earned points in 2012 in the GS class, and nine earned points in ST.

At the top of the GS standings was Luis Bacardi’s Rum Bum Racing, and it should have won the drivers’ championship, too, except for a technical error during the season finale at Lime Rock that caused the team to miss out on some points. This elevated Tower Events Porsche teammates John Farano and David Empringham to a tie for first. Matt Bell finished behind Farano and Empringham, and Rum Bum’s Matt Plumb and teammate Nick Longhi were several points behind them, rounding out the top five drivers.

Rum Bum, previously a BMW team, switched to Porsche during the season and helped that marque to a manufacturers' championship.

In the ST class, Pierre Kleinubing, in the Cybernation Mazdaspeed 3, took the championship just ahead of Rolex 24 GT-class winner Andy Lally's Infinity Kia Forte Koup. Kleinubing's i-Moto Racing also took its first teams' championship. Finishing behind Kleinubing was Tom Long, Derek Whitis, Lally and Nic Johnsson. BMW was the top manufacturer, just five points ahead of Mazda.